Throughout the early weeks of 2025, the Nationwide Marketing Group team and a number of our vendor partners were on the move, traveling coast-to-coast for this year’s slate of Regional Member Meetings. In all, the six hosted events brought together members near and far, allowing them to build a strong foundation for their 2025 strategies. The meetings covered a broad swath of topics, including marketing, data analytics, vendor relations, digital advertising, leadership development, and more – and gave members in attendance the opportunity to take advantage of special offers from vendors at each event.
For those members who joined us at each show, your presence and engagement was appreciated tremendously; we look forward to your continued involvement. And for those of you who couldn’t make it out to one of these shows, we hope to see you in the future. In either regard, we wanted to take this chance, while these events are still fresh in our mind, to share some of the biggest takeaways from this NMG roadshow.
To that end, here are 10 key messages and strategies for success this year, as defined during our 2025 Regional Member Meetings.
1. Expand into high-growth product categories. Consumers who shop in-store are increasingly opting for higher-ticket items, such as larger televisions and luxury appliance brands. If your current product offerings do not include luxury brands, it would behoove you to consider adding them to your inventory. NMG has partnerships with many different manufacturers in Appliances, CE, Furniture, Bedding, and Outdoor that can help you expand your offering.
2. Don’t lose your best employees. 65 percent of employees surveyed said they would rather have a new manager than a pay raise. Could this be your employees? NMG has partnered with Franklin-Covey to create a sustainable, cost-effective leadership course, “Leaders at Every Level” that can help you create a stronger company culture and retain your top talent. Classes start after PrimeTime. Contact your rep learn more.
3. Hold your vendor partners accountable. Members worked together to create a Vendor Scorecard to ensure mutual success between you and your vendor partners. Contact your rep today for a sample scorecard.
4. Hold your rep accountable. Your NMG field rep can go over your NMG Value Proposition and show you exactly what return you are getting on your NMG investment. Contact your MSM today and ask to review yours.
5. Make sure your customers can find you. Your website is critical to ensuring customers can find you quickly. Regardless of your carrier, ask your NMG rep to assist you with beefing up your “About Us” page to ensure you get noticed.
6. Take advantage of your free registration for PrimeTime. PrimeTime is a free-to-attend event for all members of Nationwide Marketing Group. Join us in San Antonio this March for your chance to take advantage of Cash Back offerings, exclusive show specials, meeting with emerging brands, and learning opportunities that make it a must attend event. Visit the PrimeTime website today to secure your FREE registration.
7. Make the most of the holidays. New in 2025, NMG will be hosting a series of webinars to provide valuable insights and a step-by-step playbook to help you maximize success during key shopping holiday seasons throughout the year. These sessions will equip you with the strategies needed for peak dates, ensuring you’re fully prepared. We recently held the President’s Day webinar, but be sure to join us for upcoming sessions focused on Spring Savings, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Fall Savings, and Black Friday.” More details are available on MemberNet.
8. Maximize your savings. It sounds simple enough, but make sure NMG has all of your account codes for the brands you carry and your financial partners to ensure you are getting the most of your membership. Don’t leave any stone unturned or any dollars on the table that should be back in your pocket!
9. Benchmark against your peers. Any time we connect, we’re always inspired by the connections we see members make with their peers from across the country. These valuable opportunities allow you to connect with others in similar industries and engage in discussions on topics like employee incentives, maintaining profit margins, organizing successful community events, and more. You can continue these conversations by joining an NMG Peer Group, where you can exchange ideas, best practices, and war stories, and collaborate with others facing similar challenges.
10. Outsmart your competition. One advantage that the national chains have is the use of data to drive their businesses. Members in attendance got hands-on experience using the NMG’s data tools that can help you turn the table and stand tall against big box stores. Need to know the best-selling SKU in your market, or how much others are paying in rent, salaries, and other expenses? Get in touch with your rep to learn more about how our Cost of Doing Business Survey or POS Data sharing to beat the competition at their own game.
